Railway-track structure.



Patentd Sept. 25, 1900.

T. C. DU PONT. RAILW'AY TRACK STRUCTURE (Application filed Dec. 1, 1899.)

(No Model.)

mg ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS (J. DU PoNT, OF JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR To THE LORAIN STEEL COMPANY, OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-TRACK STRUCTU RE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 658,355, dated September 25, 1900.

Application filed December 1, 1899- Serial No. 738,878. (No model.)

To 00% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. DU PoNT, of J ohnstown, in the county of Oambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Track Structures, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to theconstruction of railway-tracks, and more particularly to those parts of such tracks-such as crossings,frogs,switch-pieces, &c.-which are subject to great wear. High-grade work of this character is now very largely made of steel castings, and the proper connection of the track-rails to these castings is a source of considerable trouble. This is due in part to the fact that the steel castings are often veryimperfect, being warped or twisted in their web portions or otherwise misshapen, and in part to the fact that the castings are sometimes intentionally considerably different in section from the section of the track-rails, as where the casting is of a high rail-section and the track-rails are of a lower section. To make an approximately good joint under these circumstances, it is necessary to do a considerable amount of blacksmithing work on the splice-bars which are used in order to adapt them to the two rails or to provide what is commonly known as combination-joints.

The object of the present invention is to obviate this difficulty and to provide a caststeel track structure with means whereby it may be readily connected to track-rails of any section by means of splice-bars without bending or smithing such bars. I accomplish this object by providing the rail members of caststeel track structures with end extensions consisting of pieces of rolled-rails of a section corresponding to the section of the rails to which the structure is to be connected andrigidly secured to said members by a castmetal joint. These rolled rail extensions can then be connected to the track-rails without difficulty by means of the usual splice-bars.

In the accompanying drawings, to which reference will be had in the further description of my invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch-piece embodying my invention,

and Fig. 2 a similar view of a frog or crossing. Fig. 3 is a side view showing one of the .rail members of a cast track structure provided with a joint extension 'and track connection. Fig. 4is across-section showing the joint between the cast rail member and the extension. Fig. 5 is a section on the line Y Y of Fig. 2, illustrating the manner in which the steel castings are sometimes warped or twisted.

The letter-A designates the cast-steel structure, which maybe aswitch-piece, such as shown in Fig. 1, a frog or cross, such as shown in Fig. 2, or any other piece employed in this kind of work and having integral projecting rail membersv A for connection to the track-rails.

B indicates lengths of rolled rail which may be of any suitable or desired length and which is preferably of the same or very nearly the same cross-section as the track-rails to which the cast structure is to be joined. One of these lengths of rolled rail is connected to each of the rail members of the casting by means of a cast-metal joint (indicated at O) and formed by placing the rolled-rail length in the mold in which the casting is to be formed and uniting it thereto by means of portions of the steel casting embracing its web on each side between the head and baseflange and connected thereto and to each other by means of integral pin portions 0,

formed by the fluid steel flowing through and filling openings formed in the web of the rolled-rail length, or the pieces B may be joined to the casting after the latter has been made by placing said pieces in a suitable mold and pouring steel about them to form the joint. In either case the rolled rail length is joined to the casting by cast-steel splicebars integrally connectedthrough its web. These rolled-rail lengths can be readily connected to the respective connecting trackrails by means of the usual splice-bars H, as shown in Fig. 3. In this manner I can readily form a joint between cast-steel structures and track-rails which differ widely in crosssection, as shown in Fig. 3, or where the caststructure is of imperfect section-such, for instance, as shown in Fig. 5.

Instead of providing the apertures cin the web of the rail the latter may be roughened or provided with projections, or the rail may be formed with cavities or pockets to receive the cast metal. siderable strength may indeed be made without any means of this character.

If desired, the structures may be annealed subsequent to their completion.

It will be readily understood that my invention is not limited in its application to the particular track structures which I have herein shown and described and which serveas illustrations thereof, but that it is also applicable to straight crosses, mates, and other track structures.

I do not claim herein, broadly, the novel A connection of some con;

2. A caststeel track structure having integral branching rail members, of means for connecting the same to adjoining track-rails, consisting of short end extensions of rolled rails united to said rail members by cast-steel splice-bars.

3. The combination with a cast-steel track structure having rail members, of rolled-rail joint-pieces secured to said rail members by means of splice-bars cast to both the rail members and the rolled-rail pieces, and integrally --united by pin portions extending through openings in the said pieces.

4;. A cast-steel track structure having its rail member or members each provided with a short joint extension consisting of a piece of rolled rail corresponding in section to the track-rails to which the structure is to be connected, and united to the rail member of the casting by the same metal which forms said casting.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

T. C. DU PONT.

Witnesses M. E. SHARPE,

H. W. SMITH. 

